The Grenada gazette., 1887-01-01

I
ly three PAGES away. Without u Sec
ond's delay Weston stepped from
the branch he was standing on
to one which brought him
with the trunk of the tree between him
and the old panther. He was just in
time, for at that instant the mother of
the cub leaped on the spot he had left,
and stood gazing with fiery eyes on the
hunter. who, with one arm clasped
around branch, held in his right hand
his bare knife, as with every breath he
drew he expected to see the cnraged
animal spring down upon him. Stand
ing thus forty feet above the ground,
with only the treacherous footing of Il
limb a few inches thick, Weston knew
that he was lost, unless by tact and
skill he was able to gradually make his
way back to the foot Of the tree with
out irritating the fierce beast into pre-
cipitating an attack upon him. For
tunately. the cub left its place higher
up and leaped down to the branch on
which its mother stood. glaring at
Weston, who was almost near enough
to her to feel her hot breath. This
movement of the cubs distracted the
attention of the old panther, and
Weston, sheathing his knife in his belt,
dropped to a lower limb. The panther
noticed the movement, and sprang to
the limb below where she stood, and
prevented WestA from retreating
further.
"The dogs all this time were crazy
with excitement at the foot of the tree,
and gnawed at the trunk and tore up
the ground in their frantic anxiety to
get at the game so far above their reach.
Weston. seeing that his retreat was cut
off, and not daring to risk a struggle
with the panther where the slightest
misstep would dash him headlong to
death, returned to his old position in
the tree, and the panther followed him
Keeping, by great effort, his body
covered by the trunk of the tree, Wes-
ton climbed still higher, hoping to reach
a strong creeper that extended from
the upper part of the oak to tree a
few feet away, believing that he might
let himself by his hands along the vine
to the other tree, by which he could
easily reach the ground. The creeper
was strongly fastened on the oak, and
he supposed it was as secure as the
other tree. Weston got as far as the
creeper without the panther showing
any disposition to follow him, but he
had just seized it and was trying his
weight carefully on it, keeping his eyes
on the animal below, when the mother
of the cub seemed to be moved with
renewed fury, for she sprang to
branch above, and so made
her way to the outer edge of
the brances, toward the top of the tree,
evidently intending to head the hunter
off, and spring down upon him.
Weston saw what she was intending to
do, and he knew the struggle, which
could have but one result, was inevita-
bic unless he could reach the thick
branches of the neighboring tree by
means of the connecting vine by the
time the panther reached her vantage
ground above him. He grasped the
creeper and swung himself off Of the
branch. The vine gave way at its
fastening on the other tree, and
Weston, keeping his hold, was swung
back into the oak and brought down
to the very branch on which the pam
ther's cub was crouching. Instantly.
with yell that resounded through the
woods far above the turmoil of the
dogs below, the mother panther came
bounding down from the top of the
tree to the protection of her young.
Weston knew there was no escape now
unless desperate plan that flashed
through his mind should succeed in
giving a new turn to the perilous situ-
alton Drawing his knife from his
belt, he plunged it into the whining cub
at his feet, and at the same time kicked
it loose from the limb. 1t fell in the
midst Of the dogs below just as its
mother sprang on the branch above the
hunters head. The sight of her cub
being torn by the dogs, and the cries it
gave, turned her attention entirely
from Weston, and. with blood-curd-
ling cry she leaped from the high perch
in the tree and alghted on the dogs.
Weston lost no time in getting to the
ground and seizing his rife. Although
but a few seconds were occupied in do
ing this, all five of his dogs were
stretched dead on the ground, torn to
pieces by the infuriated panther in de.
fence of her young before Weston could
fire shot. The old panther was lick.
:.,.. 4l,o suo..rds If her lend cub and |